Kimberly
Severson is a doula, lactation educator and childbirth educator in Titusville,
Florida. In addition to being the mother of four sons and the wife of a
supportive husband, Kimberly reaches out to expectant and new parents in her
community with special attention to the needs of teenage parents. Though she
has years of experience and multiple training certifications, she made it a
priority to become a Certified HUG Teacher. Kimberly describes some of her HUG
Your Baby experiences below.
I have
enjoyed becoming certified in the HUG Your Baby program and using these
resources and techniques with private couples and with large groups. The
largest class I teach is at our community's "Worlds Greatest Baby
Shower." Every year The HUG class has the HIGHEST attendance and is
the TOP CLASS at this event.
When clients
come to see me privately, they are usually at their wits end as to "what
else to do" with a crying baby. Most of the time the baby is loosely
wrapped with his feet sticking out of the blanket and is crying
intently. Once the parents are shown how to make a more secure swaddle and
watch their baby's response, parents are overjoyed that they can now read what
their baby is telling them. A teenage mom I worked with recently said she was
at the point of considering leaving her baby at a "Safe Haven" and
giving up on parenting. But, watching her baby respond to our comforting
efforts encouraged this young mother and inspired her to go on to help other
young moms.
The fathers
I teach are usually first-time dads who have never held a baby. They say they
are clueless in just about "everything baby." But once they are
taught to handle their baby, and to see their baby's ability to interact, the
confidence of these new fathers increases. One father told me that when he
tried to interact with his son, the baby would get fussy and turn away.
Remembering about those "Spacing Out" SOSs helped this
father know what to do. After the baby woke up from a short nap, the
father would quiet his voice, comfort his son, and notice then that the baby
was more available for interacting.
When I am
out at stores or with my family I am often approached by young couples and told
how much The HUG helped them survive (and thrive) during those first few weeks
as new parents. It is so exciting to see the parents’ faces when they describe
those "ah ha" moments. I look forward to more
opportunities to share HUG Your Baby and to help young families in the years
ahead.